


Outsiders

by Rahenna



Series: Rahenna's Gakuen Heaven Oneshots [31]
Category: Gakuen Heaven 2 ~Double Scramble~
Genre: First Meetings, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:52:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27263035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rahenna/pseuds/Rahenna
Summary: Sonoda Eiji isn't interested in getting to know his so-called new family, but finds himself curious about the man who seems to be shunned by everyone.
Relationships: Sakaki Sojiro & Sonoda Eiji
Series: Rahenna's Gakuen Heaven Oneshots [31]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/483566
Kudos: 2





	Outsiders

**Author's Note:**

> Contains spoilers for Gakuen Heaven 2. If you intend to play the game yourself, reading this may ruin your fun a bit. :)
> 
> If you want to know more about the Gakuen Heaven series, please visit my fansite for game translations and summaries:  
> [welcome to Heaven](http://heaven.neo-romance.net/)

It never bothered me to be the center of attention. Rather, I relished being in the spotlight, showered in praise for my achievements, accepting the compliments my hard work and talent deserved. But today I was happy to remain in the background, serving the stuffy group gathered around the large table rather than joining them as a member. It was kind of like the idea of avoiding having your picture taken by volunteering to be the photographer at an event; I didn't have to eat dinner with a bunch of strangers who were labeled 'your new family' because I was too busy managing the kitchen.

_I don't need a new family. I have a family, damnit!_

The staff at the event hall hadn't been thrilled to learn that a mere teen would be managing the food for the fancy Sakaki family dinner, but since my so-called stepfather had been the one to inform them of the arrangements, it wasn't like they could do anything about it. After only an hour into the first trial run, the muttered complaints had virtually disappeared, squashed by the proof of my efficiency and skill. Most of the cooks in the hall were amateurs who had picked up their skills on the job; only the head chef had been formally trained, and he hadn't bothered to hold back his praise:

_Too bad you're only thirteen, I could use a skilled pair of hands in this kitchen!_

The two trial runs had gone smoothly, and so far, the actual dinner was proceeding just as well. I didn't bother hanging around the table long enough to get roped into conversation, but the quality and frequency of the compliments I heard while serving were almost enough to make me forget about the point of the ridiculous gathering.

Almost.

"Eiji," my mother tugged on my vest as I leaned over to place a bowl of soup in front of her, "don't go back to the kitchen, it's time for introductions. Here, sit." She motioned to the empty seat at her right side. "You at least have to be here for this part."

"Ugh, Mom, the kitchen staff--"

"Eiji," she hissed, "sit down now."

"Right, right," I sighed, glancing back toward the kitchen as I sank into the cushioned seat. A few seconds later, one of the other cooks set a bowl of soup in front of me. I made a face; I definitely didn't feel like eating anything in this oppressive environment. I'd end up getting sick.

The man at the head of the table stood. I recognized him as the head of the Sakaki Group; we'd met briefly once, exchanging only a few words, but my impression of him was pretty strong. Serious, difficult to please, no-nonsense. In other words, he perfectly fit my image of the stereotypical company president. Everyone fell silent as he looked out over the table, and after a moment he nodded, seemingly satisfied.

"Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to be here today." He gestured in the direction of our seats. "As you know, my youngest brother Daisuke has recently married. Seated to his right is his lovely bride, Megumi. Megumi's family owns and manages the successful and popular Taiyo trio of fine Japanese restaurants, and they plan to add a fourth later this year."

I tried not to roll my eyes. Of course there was no mention of my father's restaurant; he'd been all but erased from my life, vanished like a ghost. Less than six months after the divorce, my mother was remarried and didn't even mention my father anymore. It was like he and the restaurant had never existed. My hands crumpled the cloth napkin in my lap.

I was jarred out of my thoughts by the sound of my own name. "To Megumi's right is her son, Sonoda Eiji. Despite his young age, he is responsible for the food we'll all be enjoying tonight. As expected, he's absorbed Megumi's knowledge of the restaurant industry, and the two will make great contributions to the Sakaki Foods division, I'm sure."

It took all of my self-control to remain seated while everything in me was screaming _what knowledge? Mom doesn't know shit about the industry or cooking, I got it all from my father, my real father, the one she threw away the second things got tough!_

Instead, I settled for sitting there stiffly, lips pressed together in a grim expression of disapproval. Fortunately, the elder Sakaki didn't notice or chose to ignore my lack of reaction, and he moved on around the table, naming various cousins, nephews, and other relations and their spouses. All the names and faces blurred together, meaningless, and all I could think about was how quickly the torment would be over so I could escape to the safety of the kitchen.

"And this," he continued, voice warm with pride, "is my eldest son, Yuichiro. Yuichiro is the president of both Sakaki Pharmaceuticals and our educational division, which of course includes our prestigious academy that has produced some of Japan's finest elite. Naturally, his wife Ai is equally brilliant, one of the top PhD researchers for the pharmaceutical group."

The couple beamed at his praise, the woman looking somewhat more sincere with her open smile. The son, Yuichiro, had a bit of a smug smile. Self-satisfied, maybe. Well, I guess that's what happened when you were the eldest and knew daddy was eventually going to leave his massive company to you.

I swallowed back the bitterness that welled up as I remembered that I no longer had any legacy to inherit from my own father.

"This is my youngest son, Sojiro," the elder Sakaki continued, his flat tone a sharp contrast to the animated warmth he'd displayed only seconds before. Hell, he didn't even look at the guy, just waved vaguely in his general direction before moving on to the next person. "My eldest first cousin..."

I peered at the man he'd passed over so dismissively, wondering what was up with that. The guy was a lot younger than his brother, so maybe he was still in college or whatever, studying up to become someone who could take a position in the company? But there had been other young family members, and they'd been introduced fully, their studies and achievements spoken of with pride. Weird. Maybe he'd pissed someone off. I couldn't remember if he'd been talking with his neighbors at all during the salad course, or simply staring down at his plate like he was now, looking as if he was trying to find the meaning of life in the bowl of asparagus soup.

He must have felt the weight of my gaze, because he glanced up and met my eyes for a second. His eyes darted away before I could react, the brief contact leaving me cold.

_I guess he's about as thrilled to be here as I am._

The introductions finally ended, and I rushed back to the kitchen the second I could do so without seeming incredibly rude, ignoring my mother's protests that I hadn't even tasted the soup.

_Ugh, I've made this damn soup a hundred times, I know what it tastes like!_

I managed to hide out in the kitchen until halfway through dessert, an assortment of delicate petit fours and complementary fruit sorbets served with fresh fruit. Some of my favorites, but even that wasn't enough to tempt me into eating more than a few bites, and I slipped away from the table as the regular staff began offering coffee refills. I wasn't the only person to drift away early; there were a few empty seats, vacated by the family members who stood in groups of two or three, discussing whatever rich people discussed after dinner. I noticed that the snubbed son was already gone, his dessert plate untouched.

I frowned. _You could have at least tasted it before noping the hell out._

I made my way to one of three sets of double doors set in the longer wall of the room. Each led out to a small private balcony that overlooked the landscaped gardens behind the main building. I guess the place was popular for weddings and stuff like that. I set my elbows on the railing, resting my chin on the back of my hands with a loud sigh.

"So annoying," I grumbled, trying not to think about all the self-important introductions I'd been forced to sit through, supposedly for my mother's benefit. _Yeah right. That stuffy old bastard just wanted to show off his family and their successes. He probably made half of it up, just like he talked up Mom to make her seem like something more than a brainless trophy wife._

Now that I didn't have cooking to distract myself, the rest of the evening was going to be hell. Well, there was always the option of cleaning the kitchen, but the chef had firmly declined to let me help, insisting that I'd already done too much, considering that I was one of the guests of honor.

_Hmph, if I'm the guest of honor, I should be able to do what I want, right?_

I straightened up, decision made, and froze at the creak of the door behind me. Shit, was Mom trying to drag me back inside already? What a pain in the ass. "Don't bother me," I grumbled.

The voice that responded was clearly masculine and unfamiliar to my ears. "Sorry, I didn't realize someone was out here already."

I turned around, eyes widening a bit as I recognized the ignored man from earlier. Now that he was standing, I could see that he was pretty tall, with broad shoulders but an otherwise relatively slim build that was complimented by his fitted suit. His face was handsome enough, framed by neatly cut and styled hair, though I had the feeling he'd probably look better if he smiled. Except he didn't seem like the kind of guy who smiled much. "Oh, sorry, I thought my mother was coming to force me to socialize or something. You trying to escape from the crowd too?"

"Something like that," he agreed, shutting the doors and stepping forward to lean against the railing, peering out over the grounds below. We stood like that, silently taking in the scenery for about a minute, but it wasn't an awkward silence. It felt okay, like his presence wasn't demanding or oppressive in the way that the other Sakaki people were.

Somehow, the thought I'd been turning over idly in my mind slipped from my lips:

"Hey, do you think I could kill myself if I jumped from here?"

The man - Sakaki - glanced at me, raising one eyebrow, then leaned forward to look down at the ground. "Probably not, but you'd get some nasty scratches from those bushes." His tone was flat, matter-of-fact, with just the corner of his mouth quirking up slightly into what might have been the hint of a smile. "I'd recommend going up to the top floor if that's your intent."

I wasn't really sure how to react to his nonchalant response, more used to my mother's complaining about my 'dramatic outbursts' or the shocked looks I got from friends. My cheeks colored a little, and I reached up, picking at the small braids on the left side of my head. "Nah, that seems like a bit too much trouble." My voice wavered a bit as I said it, betraying my nervousness. What was with this guy?

He looked at me, eyes narrowed slightly as if he also wasn't quite sure what to make of the conversation. Probably had no experience dealing with anyone my age, judging from the group at the table. The youngest person, aside from me, had been a college student. "Sonoda, was it? You don't mind if I smoke, do you? I don't want to harm your sense of smell."

"Hmph, it'll take more than a bit of smoke to mess up _my_ nose or palate. Go ahead." I watched him pull a cigarette and lighter from his shirt pocket, and I waited for him to light up and take a couple of puffs before asking, "So how was dinner? I noticed you didn't even try the dessert."

"Dinner was excellent. I didn't have room for dessert." He aimed a faint smile at me. "You have a lot of talent. Your training is good, I'm sure, but all the training in the world won't get you to the top unless you have at least some measure of talent to back it up. Tonight's dishes were exceptional."

My cheeks prickled in unconscious response to his words. Somehow I got the feeling that he didn't dispense praise easily or without sincerity. "D, don't flatter me. I hate that."

"Yeah, you're right." He blew a mouthful of smoke out over the landscape below. "I was just trying to make you feel better about yourself. Dinner was okay, I guess."

Blood rushed to my face. "What!? My cooking is perfect! Everyone said so!"

The man laughed, a sharp, almost unpleasant sound. "Well, you were asking for it. If you're going to fish for compliments, accept them graciously when you catch them." He leaned on the railing, resting his cheek against the palm of his hand. "Actually, I've been to your father's restaurant a few times. It's a real shame, because no matter how horrible the experience there was, at least the food was always good."

"Hey, don't insult my father's restaurant! The atmosphere and decor are just as good as the food!" My shoulders slumped, realizing that I was still talking about Cuisine du Sonoda like it was still open and operational. _I don't care, I refuse to speak of it in the past tense! It's not going to stay that way!!_

He shook his head, motioning toward the room behind us. "I meant the food was the only thing that made the bad company bearable."

I was silent for a few moments, considering. He'd been passed over during the introductions, but it seemed that the hostility was mutual. Another outsider, for whatever reason. I didn't get the intricacies of super-rich families and their business stuff, but even I could tell that there was something more than mere disapproval going on here. "Uh, yeah... So, uh, you're the son of the head of the Group, then?"

Sakaki snorted. "Not _the_ son, just a son. My brother's the important one."

"Yeah, seemed that way. I guess that's what happens when you're the oldest or whatever." Was he reluctant to talk about himself or what? Well, I could understand that, but since it was just the two of us, it was pretty awkward to not discuss anything. I shrugged, trying another tactic. "So what are you in charge of, then? I missed your title or whatever."

He laughed again. "A classroom. I'm a high school math teacher."

"What, are you serious?"

"Yeah, I'm serious. I teach the high-level classes at my family's private school."

"Wow, really?" I was genuinely impressed; I wasn't bad at math or any other subject, but I had to put in a reasonable amount of effort to get good grades. If I slacked off, I was merely average. If he was _teaching_ crazy stuff like calculus, he was pretty smart. "I thought you were still in college or something."

The smile he aimed at me that time was warm and genuine, transforming his sullen expression into one that was... well, attractive. "Oh, so you're saying I look younger than I am? That's good to hear."

Damnit, why was my heart suddenly pounding?! "S, shut up! I never said anything like that!"

He just chuckled and went back to puffing on his cigarette. A silence settled over us, not unpleasant, but I still didn't like standing around and saying nothing, so after about a minute, I ventured, "So, er, Professor Sakaki?" The way he half-smiled at me when I called him that put me at ease; well, I guess he was used to being addressed that way. "What made you want to be a teacher? That doesn't really fit in with the rest of your family."

"Ha, that's an understatement," he snorted, gesturing with his cigarette, which left little tendrils of smoke in its wake. "Listen, Sonoda, if you want to get somewhere in this family, you probably shouldn't spend a lot of time with me. If my father or brother think you're trying to suck up to me, it's going to cause problems for you."

It was my turn to let out a short, bitter laugh. "I'll leave the sucking up to my mother. She's pretty good at it, if you know what I mean."

His only response was a smirk as he made eye contact for a moment, then brought the cigarette to his lips again.

I raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to tell me to watch my mouth or something?"

He shrugged one shoulder. "I'm a high school teacher, I've heard everything already."

"So why _are_ you a teacher?" I pressed.

His playful smile faded, and he turned his attention back to the suddenly fascinating lawn below. It was just my imagination, but the air seemed to turn a bit frosty as his eyes narrowed, and it took all my effort to suppress a shiver.

_Ugh, so he really was ignoring that question on purpose. Maybe he couldn't cut it in the corporate world? But he must be pretty smart. Guess he pissed off his old man somehow and got shoved into a crappy job as punishment or whatever._

My hand tightened on the railing. I couldn't imagine being forced into a job I didn't want to do. I'd been in the restaurant kitchen since before I really understood what a kitchen was. Cooking was all I had and all I knew. Nothing was going to take that from me, not the restaurant closing, not my mom marrying into some family of rich sleazeballs, _nothing._ So how had this guy ended up a teacher - not even the principal - instead of a corporate exec like the rest of his family?

 _I guess rich sleazeballs have way too much power for one person to fight._ My eyes narrowed. _No, not true. I'm going to do it. There's no way I'm losing my family legacy to scum like that!_

"You look like you're having quite the mental battle over there."

I glanced up with a start. Sakaki was watching me, his faint smile back again. I frowned and tried to ignore the cold wave of surprise that washed over me. How long had he been watching?! "H, hey. Don't make weird assumptions. And don't stare at me like that, it's creepy!"

"Not as creepy as the face you were just making," he countered as he stubbed out his cigarette in the nearby ashtray.

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes and half-turned away from him, grateful that at least he couldn't hear my heart pounding in my ears.

The distinct clop of dress shoes against stone was his only response. I glanced back over my shoulder just as he reached the door and found him looking back at me too. My heart lurched as our eyes met.

"Sonoda. I chose to teach. You should do what you want, too."

With that, he disappeared back into the building, and I was alone. Not for long, unfortunately; Mom appeared less than thirty seconds later, a scowl accentuating the lines on her forehead.

"Eiji, what are you doing hiding out here talking to that man? He's a nobody. Don't waste your time on people like that, it'll make me look bad!" She grabbed my sleeve. "Now get back inside before everyone notices I'm missing too. I swear, are you _trying_ to embarrass me?"

I ignored her ranting and allowed myself to be dragged back inside. The event hall was still packed with Sakaki Group people in their obnoxious overpriced suits.

But no matter where I looked that evening, I couldn't find Professor Sakaki anywhere.


End file.
